Thill or pole coupling.



No. 65!,245. Patented June 5, I900. A. H.'FORSYTHE. THILL 0R POLECOUPLING.

(Application filed Oct. 31, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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NITED STAT-Es PATENT nFrcE.

ALBERT H. FORSYTHE, OF SARCOXIE, MISSOURI.

THlLL oR POLE COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 0. 651,245, dated June 5,1900. Application filed October 31, 1899. Serial No. 735,359. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT I-I. FORSYTHE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Sarcoxie, in the county of Jasper and State ofMissouri, have invented a new and Improved Thill or Pole Coupling, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

One object of the invention is to improve upon the construction of thecoupling for which Letters Patent were granted to me September 19, 1899,No. 633,442, and a second object of the invention is to so combine theseveral parts that said parts may not only be conveniently applied toany axle, but whereby also the thills or shaft may be coupled to oruncoupled from the vehicle with greater ease and despatch thanheretofore and will completely prevent rattling.

The invention consists. in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved coupling. Fig. 2 is a frontelevation thereof, parts being broken away; and Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of the coupling removed from the clip.

The clip A is of the usual construction and is provided withforwardly-extending cheekpieces 10 at its sides, and B represents athill or pole iron, provided with the usual knuckle 11, adapted to enterbetween the cheeks 10 of the clip. The attachment to the clip is shownin detail in Fig. 3 and consists of two side pieces 12 and 13, the sidepiece 12 having a longitudinal slot 14 in its lower end, and theopposing side piece 13 is also provided with a longitudinal slot 15 ofgreater length than the slot 14. The side piece 13, having the longerslot-15, is provided with a thumb-piece 16 at its upper end, extendingoutwardly and enabling the attachmentto be readilyhandled.

WVa-shers 17 of any suitable material-rubher, for exampleare permanentlysecured to the inner faces of the'side pieces 12 and 13, and a pin 18 issecured to the side piece 12 at the center of its upper portion, whichspring 21 is secured, is pivoted at one end by pin is adapted to extendthrough the slot 15 in the opposing side piece 13. The projecting end ofthe pin 18, as shown in Fig. 2, is provided with an inclined head 19,and a recess 20 is made in the upper surface of the pin adjacent to thehead 19, as is likewise shown in Fig. 2.

A spring 21 is located below the pin 18 and is arranged to extendupwardly in direction of the said pin. The spring 21 is attached to thecentral portion of a cross-bar 22 and is bent forwardly and upwardly andrearwardly beneath the pin 18,'the upper portion of the spring beinggiven an upward curve, so that the upper section of the spring at itsfree end is more or less concaved, being adapted to engage With theknuckle 11 on the thill or pole when the latter is in position, as shownin Figs. 1 and 2. The cross-bar 22, to which the a suitable pin 23 inthe slot 14: of the side piece 12 of the attachment, and the other endof the cross-bar is pivoted by a pin 24 in the lower portion of thelonger slot 15 in the side piece 13, as illustrated in Fig. 3. WVhen thecross-bar 22 is in a horizontal position or parallel with the pin 18 andboth of the side pieces 12 and 13 occupy a vertical position, the upperwall of the slot of the side piece 13 enters the recess 20 in the pin18, as shown in Fig. 2. In the operation of the device the side pieces12 and 13 are located outside of the cheeks 10 of the clip A, and thepin 18 when disconnected from the hinged side piece 13 is passed throughsuitable eyes in the cheeks 10 of the said clip, as shown in Figs. 1 and2; but be- I fore passing the pin 18 through the cheeks 10 0f the clipthe knuckle 11 of the tongue or pole iron is made to enter the spacebetween the cheeks and the pin 18 is passed through a suitable openingin the said knuckle. Next the side piece 13 is carried upward and isbrought in looking engagement with the pin 18, thus bringing the spring21 to bear against the under side of the knuckle of the thill or poleiron, preventing rattling and holding the said iron in proper position.The spring 21 on the bar serves to hold the side bar 13 in place in theslot 20. When the pole or thills' are to be disconnected from an axle,the side piece 13 is raised slightly upward, carried from engagementwith the pin 18, and permitted to drop to the dotted position shown inFig. 2, carrying with it the lower cross bar 22.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A thill-coupling, comprising a clip having cheeksbetween which the knuckle of the thill or pole iron is received, and anattachment to the clip, comprising side pieces, a pin secured to one ofthe side pieces, the opposing side piece being arranged forlockingengagement with the pin and to be disconnected from the pin, aconnecting-bar pivotally connected with locking side piece and opposingside piece, and a spring carried by the said connecting-bar, the freeend whereof extends transversely below the said pin, as described.

2. The combination, with a clip having forwardlyextending aperturedchecks, of a frame comprising opposing side bars, a connecting-barpivotally connecting the side bars at their lower ends, a pin secured toone side bar, the opposite end of the pin being ar ranged for lockingengagement with the opposing side of the frame, the said pin beingadapted to pass through the aperturesin the cheeks of the clip, and aspring secured to the connecting-bar, which springis forwardly andupwardly bent and carried rearwardly between the sides of the frametransversely beneath the pin of the frame, for the purpose described.

3. In a thill coupling, the combination, with a clip, of a framecomprising a side member to which a pin is secured, an opposing sidemember pivotally connected with the member attached to the pin, washerslocated upon the inner faces of the side members, and a spring securedto the connecting medium between the side members and extendingtransversely beneath the pin, the said pin being provided with a recessnear its free end, arranged to receive the upper wall of a slot producedin the pivoted member of the frame, as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT I-I. FORSYTIIE.

Witnesses:

HENRY SABERT, SALEM GOODNER.

